An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant “closure” has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfying ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity or uncertainty. Discuss the ending of a novel or play of literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Choose a complex and important character in a novel or play of recognized literary merit who might – on the basis of the character’s actions alone – be considered evil or immoral. In a well- organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.

A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this “healthy confusion.” Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the “pleasure and disquietude” experienced by the readers of the work.

The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusions to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work’s meaning.

Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent or a parental figure and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

Many novels and plays use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

In a novel or play, a confidant(e) is a character whose role is to be present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener in whom to confide. Frequently, the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant can be as much “the reader’s friend as the protagonist’s.” However, the author sometimes uses this character to serve other purposes as well. Choose a confidant(e) from a literary work, and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways the character functions in the work.